Rajiv Shah

Dr. Rajiv Shah led the efforts of nearly 10,000 staff in more than 70 countries around the world to advance USAID’s mission of ending extreme poverty and promoting resilient, democratic societies.

Under Dr. Shah’s leadership, USAID applied innovative technologies and engaged the private sector to solve the world’s most intractable development challenges. This new model of development brings together an increasingly diverse community—from large companies to local civil society groups to communities of faith—to deliver meaningful results.

Dr. Shah also managed the U.S. Government’s humanitarian response to catastrophic crises around the world, from the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

Through an extensive set of reforms called “USAID Forward,” Dr. Shah worked with the United States Congress to transform USAID into the world’s premier development Agency that prioritizes public-private partnerships, innovation, and meaningful results. He currently serves on the boards of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, as well as participates on the National Security Council.

Previously, Dr. Shah served as Undersecretary and Chief Scientist in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he created the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, he spent eight years at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he led efforts in global health, agriculture, and financial services, including the creation of the International Finance Facility for Immunization.

He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, and the Wharton School of Business. He regularly appears in the media and has delivered keynote addresses before the U.S. Military Academy, the National Prayer Breakfast, and diverse audiences across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Dr. Shah was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He has served as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, been named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40, and has received multiple honorary degrees.

He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Shivam Mallick Shah and three children and has given up mountain climbing for family bicycle rides.

It’s tough to look around the world today and think about achieving great moral aspirations that we set for ourselves—like ending extreme poverty—when we face unprecedented and immediate humanitarian challenges, from West Africa to Syria to Iraq. The truth is that the poverty, instability, and the sheer human need we are witnessing today challenge us to bring greater—not less—commitment to this mission.

Greetings to everyone from the U.S. Department of State’s Africa Regional Media Hub. I would like to welcome all of our callers who have dialed in from across Africa. Today, we are joined by USAID Assistant Administrator for Africa, Earl Gast and Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa, Florie Liser. They are speaking to us from Washington D.C. We will begin with remarks from Assistant Administrator Gast, followed by Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Liser, and then we will open it up to your questions

Today’s launch of the WildScan Mobile Application marks a major milestone in ASEAN-WEN’s efforts and continued collaboration to put an end to wildlife trafficking in the region, and around the world.

Wildlife trafficking will remain a major global threat to species loss, ecosystem degradation, and to human health and security – unless we work collaboratively with all key stakeholders, as one community. This is what brings us together today – a common cause, and a shared commitment.

Good morning everyone. I see that most, if not all prosecutors from BiH Prosecutor’s Offices, have come to this conference. This is very encouraging since the topics you will discuss today are critical in reducing corruption, political patronage and crime; all three cited as the key problems facing the citizens.

As we know recurrent crises affect countries around the world, and last year alone killed more than 20,000 people. Today we are focusing on Asia, and I will briefly provide some relevant data points to help set the stage for our discussion. First, in Bangladesh, rising sea levels threaten to drown one-fifth of the country’s landmass, where 18 million people now reside. In Nepal, over 2 million live on potentially hazardous fault lines, where earthquakes could cause severe damage. According to the World Bank, $1 out of $3 dollars in development funding is lost as a result of recurrent crises, totaling $3.8 trillion over the last 30 years.

It is my great pleasure to welcome all of you today to “National Consultation Workshop on Agricultural Extension Policy.” USAID, through its Feed the Future Initiative, is pleased to be able to provide support for the development of an Agriculture Extension Policy in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

USAID is pleased to co-sponsor this forum while we celebrate National SME Week. As the Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Development Plan for 2011-2016 cited, MSMEs account for 99.6 percent of total establishments, 61.2 percent of the country’s total employment and 35.7 percent of the total value added in the Philippine economy.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is investing $4 million this year in Kenya’s immunization program. Speaking as a donor, I can tell you that childhood immunization programs provide a very high return on investment. Vaccination services prevent illnesses, which reduce direct health costs and save millions of shillings in indirect costs, a fact I know Secretary Macharia appreciates. More importantly, vaccination services save lives.

Cambodia has made substantial progress towards achieving its Millennium Development Goals, including reaching the targets for Goals 4 and 5 years ahead of the target dates. I would like to congratulate the Royal Government of Cambodia, in particular the Ministry of Health, for its leadership in these efforts. The deployment of midwives to all health facilities and the endorsement of the midwifery incentive scheme are recognized as driving forces behind this great success.